The San Francisco 49ers were rude hosts in welcoming Aaron Rodgers back to the NFL fold. The New York Jets are headed back to the East Coast with a comprehensive 32-19 defeat on their record, and it was a complete three-phase beating at the hands of the reigning NFC champions.
Fans of the Jets pulled no punches after the loss. Neither did Jets' coach Robert Saleh in the postgame press conference, but he did issue the Big Apple one guarantee.
“They’re a championship outfit,” Saleh admitted. “They introduced us to championship football. We’ll get that s**t fixed.”
There is a lot to fix. Aaron Rodgers had one scary moment and barely got to work before Saleh felt the frustrations on the sidelines. The future Hall of Famer finished Monday’s game with 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards. Rodger had one touchdown and one interception before being replaced by Tyrod Taylor on the final drive.
“We never really gave (Rodgers) a chance to get in a rhythm,” Saleh added. “Defensively, credit to San Francisco, they did a great job running the ball and were efficient in the passing game. Even in the second half when we feel like we made some adjustments in the run game…they were explosive.”
The 49ers were explosive without All-Pro Christian McCaffery, which should be concerning for the Jets. New York allowed Jordan Mason to gain 147 yards on 28 carries to salt the game away.
“They have a stable of good running backs and are very good up front,” complimented Saleh. “From an efficiency standpoint, they beat us up front plain and simple.”
Aaron Rodgers outplayed in the Jets' loss
Sure, Aaron Rodgers had some plays worth sending to SportsCenter's Top 10 decision-makers. That first touchdown in a New York uniform was vintage Rodgers. A third-quarter, 36-yard laser to Allen Lazard after drawing San Francisco offsides had the Jets dreaming of better days. Then the game became a nightmare.
The fourth play of the game should have been a sign. There were no season-ending injuries but a completed flip pass became a forced fumble. Momentum was never back on the Jets' side as Brock Purdy's 49ers dominated the time of possession, controlling the ball for over 38 minutes. San Francisco scored on eight straight offensive possessions before they knelt on their final drive, running 70 plays compared to 49 for New York.
The Jets leaned on Rodgers despite the lack of rhythm and the coaching staff seemed to ignore the run game. New York ran for only 68 yards on 19 rushing attempts with almost half coming on the final Taylor-led drive. A 12-play drive in the first half led to a touchdown but the Jets' offense was stuck grounded on the tarmac for far too long. It led to forced throws, which led to turnovers like that third-quarter interception where Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles snagged a deflected pass intended for Garrett Wilson.
Robert Saleh sounded unphased by the Week 1 setback from Rodgers.
“He was fine. I thought he was fine. His command was fine,” Saleh stated. “We'll be better, 100 percent. I'm not worried. Give San Francisco credit. I'm not worried offensively. I'm not worried defensively. We will get it fixed.”
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